As an industry builds up around it, questions remain about gluten-free diets

Backlash brewing as more Canadians cut wheat

More and more Canadians are adopting gluten-free diets, even though most doctors say it is only necessary for those with Celiac disease or a diagnosted intolerance.

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Declaring you are “going gluten-free” these days will get you one of two reactions: an understanding nod and/or solidarity, or an eye roll. Both responses are equally warranted (though not equally appreciated) considering removing gluten from one’s diet has become the nutrition fad du jour.

The thing is, though, that a large and growing portion of the Canadian population isn’t just nixing gluten for the sake of dropping a few pounds or clearing up their complexion (though those are a couple of the lovely side-effects that are sometimes reported). Recent estimates indicate that one in every 133 Canadians suffer from celiac disease, an autoimmune disease in which the surface of the small intestine that absorbs nutrients from food is damaged and often results in the development of other serious ailments if not treated correctly.

Beyond the stats on celiac disease, a piece in the September 2013 issue of Maclean’s magazine claimed that somewhere between 300,000 and two million Canadians suffer from the more difficult to diagnose condition of gluten sensitivity and that there are currently about 7 million gluten-avoidant people in the country today.

There’s no denying that the last few years have seen a major societal shift towards gluten and/or grain-free lifestyles. The question is whether those who opt out of gluten-consumption when they don’t have a legitimate intolerance are just jumping on a bandwagon that will find them filling up on unhealthy fillers, or whether there universal health advantages they might enjoy.

Dr. Bruce Hoffman, the founder of Calgary’s Hoffman Centre for Integrative Medicine thinks the growing incidence of celiac disease and gluten-intolerance is the result of the grains we eat today bearing little resemblance to their original genetics. “Today’s grains, thanks to modern bioengineering, contain up to 40 times more gluten than grains cultivated just a few decades ago, “ he says. Hoffman isn’t referring to those grains genetically modified in a laboratory, but rather those that have been cross-bred for certain traits that he says have increased the gluten content of grains.

“The average American eats 133 pounds of wheat per year and this wheat bears no genetic, structural or chemical likeness to the grains that were occasionally ingested by our ancestors. As a result of attempts to increase grain yields and to make wheat more ‘chewy,’ we are challenging our physiology way beyond what we are genetically endowed to cope with.”

Now back to the not-so-subtle eye rolling reaction that too often occurs while discussing one’s gluten-free lifestyle with friends or informing a waitress in a restaurant of your condition or preference. Hoffman takes a respectful stance to the backlash that is currently emerging against the gluten-free movement, saying there are many points of view to consider. The urges people to consider the source of their information.

“In my opinion, having treated thousands of individuals with a multitude of clinical problems, the biggest clinical response I ever achieve is with modification of the standard North American diet,” he says. “Of those interventions, the intervention that often has the biggest impact is the removal of grains from the diet. The proof is literally in the pudding. Anybody with vague intestinal symptoms, or symptoms that don’t respond to known interventions should attempt a grain-free (plus processed food, sugar and dairy free) diet for a certain period of time. The results are often astonishing.”

The problem, however, is that there are no tests to prove that a patient may be suffering from a gluten sensitivity. The best way to test the idea is by practicing an elimination diet. For many, it comes down to trial and error and gauging how they are feeling.

But while Hoffman believes most people’s health can benefit from removing gluten from their daily diet, Registered Dietician Emily Mardell, of Edmonton’s Food First Nutrition Consulting takes a different stance when counselling her clients. According to Mardell, a gluten-free diet isn’t necessarily a healthy one if you don’t need to be on it. “There’s no evidence that following a gluten-free diet will promote weight loss or offer any health benefit beyond helping gluten-sensitive people,” she says of the growing trend. Mardell also cautions that since wheat bran is off limits, most gluten-free eaters are lacking fibre. To counteract this, she suggests adding two tablespoons of ground flaxseed, as well as legumes and lentils to your daily meals. “Eating at least three fruit servings and four vegetable servings every day will boost your fibre intake, too.”

Both Hoffman and Mardell agree that one of the unfortunate side-effects of the rapid growth of the gluten-free movement is the quick adaption of the convenience food industry marketing “new and improved” versions of their products as healthy choices.

“We now have big business jumping on the band wagon making ridiculous substitutes such as Tim Horton’s gluten-free coconut macaroons, Domino’s pizzas with a gluten-free crust and Betty Crocker selling cakes mixes that are free of gluten,” Hoffman explains. “Gluten-free products are now a $90-million enterprise in Canada alone. In the US, the market is claimed to be $4.2 billion and climbing. This is big business.”

The truth is that a gluten-free product is not necessarily any more healthy than the wheat-based original. Sometimes they are worse. Sure they won’t cause a person with celiac disease to have a reaction, but many of these foods are devoid of necessary vitamins, minerals or fibre and are made with substitute starches like rice and tapioca flour which have very little nutritional value. Mardell also notes that a quick comparison of nutrition labels will reveal that gluten-free products are often higher in calories, carbohydrates and sodium than those made with wheat flours.

Both experts concur that eating a pizza—be it gluten-free or gluten-filled—is never going to help someone achieve optimal health. Processed foods are still processed foods. Celiac or not, there’s still no way to have your gluten-free cake and eat it too.

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